


Aftermath

by Niko_Niko_Neek



Category: Naruto
Genre: A good combo, F/M, Fluff, Pining, platonic feels as well as romantic ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 18:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niko_Niko_Neek/pseuds/Niko_Niko_Neek
Summary: In which Kiba sits up with his friend at the infirmary, scowls a little at the flowers Naruto left, and seriously contemplates killing Neji.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love KibaHina and there is a sever lack of pics with them at the center.

It isn’t the first time she’s overexerted herself, but it’s the first time it’s been quite this bad.

Shino had fallen asleep in the corner of the infirmary room, but like Kiba, he’d been entirely too stubborn for the medical ninja to try explaining that visiting hours only extended till dark. That was a general rule that wasn’t always enforced, and seeing as Kiba himself was being attended to by the medics up until a few hours ago, they didn’t apply to him much anyway.

The wounds that are visible aren’t so bad, but it’s what lies beneath the surface which is the most troubling to Kiba. Hinata is a skilled fighter, and he and Shino know this better than anyone, but her abilities came at a steep cost-particularly when paired with someone as merciless as Neji.

“I told her to forfeit,” Kiba muses, his arms crossed. “I _told_ her.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make.” A calm, smooth voice from across the room makes Kiba jump a little. Shino hadn’t been asleep after all. It was hard to tell with those dark glasses of his.

“It shouldn’t have even happened.” Kiba continued. “They had to know what he was going to try to do. He’s been after her for years.”

“There aren’t any exceptions in the exams. You know that.”

He swallowed back a growl of frustration. Shino was right. By showing any hint of favoritism or exception, it would be all too easy for a rush of young fighters demanding an appeal on any matches they had lost. Even Kiba himself had sworn Naruto had cheated, though knew instinctively that it had been his own fault for underestimating the guy.

In the infirmary bed, she looks incredibly small and pale. Hinata was just over five foot on her best day, and only came up ton Kiba’s chest. She was even smaller when compared to Shino.

The anger is gone from his voice when he asks, “Why would anybody want to hurt her like that?”

A soft sigh comes from the far side of the room. “That,” Shino replies, “I really don’t have an answer to.”

Neither of them do. It was far from unheard of for the Chunin exams to become dangerous, even deadly, but Hinata? Hinata, who once got so upset at him for swatting a grasshopper away? Hinata, who always remembered his and Shino’s birthdays?

Anger flares up again. “I’ll kill him the next time I see him.”

Shino says nothing. He knows it’s probably just talk, but looking at his teammate still unconscious, Kiba isn’t so sure. Energy surges down his limbs as he considers giving Neji a taste of his own medicine next time. He could make that bastard cry. No problem.

Nestled into his coat, Akumaru whimpers. It’s as if the animal is just a manifestation of his inner logic. No, even if he beat Neji to a pulp, even if Neji deserved it, she would be upset at him for doing it. 

Silence stretches on, quiet aside from the even sounds of Hinata and Shino’s breathing. Shino’s head dips forward, glasses slipping down. This time, he really did seem to be asleep.

Kiba leaned back in his chair, eyes flitting towards the small glass vase situated at the table near Hinata’s bedside. When she woke up, Kiba would be sure to tell her they were from Naruto. She’d get a kick out of that.

Even if they were sunflowers. Sunflowers weren’t even her favorite, Kiba thought, a tad more bitter than he would’ve guessed. Plum blossoms were. He'd known that since their first training session.

It wasn’t jealousy which made his eyes narrow as he regarded the get-well gift, or at least, he didn’t like to think it was. For one thing, what was there to be jealous of? Certainly. Naruto had beaten him this time, but he wouldn’t make it through the next round. Today had been a slip up. That was the best word for it. He’d slipped up, first by losing to Naruto, which then caused him to be taken out of the match, which then had caused him not to be there when Hinata’s name was called.

He hadn’t been able to protect her this time. It wouldn’t happen again.

A quiet groan sounded from the bed as Hinata’s brow furrowed, eyes tightening as though in discomfort. In an instant, Kiba had traded his chair to be sitting on the edge of her bed, but it doesn’t seem as though she was waking up.

“I should’ve listened to you, huh, Kiba?”

Her voice is small, tired, and utterly defeated. His chest hurts.

“Nah.” His response to the contrary, despite what he’d discussed an hour earlier with Shino, is immediate. “If you’d given up, it would’ve been a bad impression. He would’ve won by default.”

“He won anyway.” Hinata’s eyes open, still that piercing silver, but they appear groggy. A few capillaries have burst from exertion. “I shamed myself in front of everyone.”

Kiba reaches out to grip her hand, tightly. “You think these exams are gonna be anything like real high class missions? No way. You went up against somebody who really wanted you to go down. That’s more real than any other fight that happened today.”

Whatever words he says, however, it’s clear to Kiba that they won’t make it through the carefully constructed wall of assertion that Hinata has been building for years The assertion of unworthiness. Shame.

Respected family or not, he sure as hell didn’t like them from what he saw.

“It wasn’t good enough.” She replies with a shake of her head. “I wasn’t good enough.”

His hand tightens on hers. “You are enough.”

It’s obvious she doesn’t register the sentiment, and though that ignites further frustration, Kiba knows that now is neither the time nor place for a pep talk. They’re both too tired. All he could do now is stay with her and hope that was enough.

“Is Shino here?”

Kiba nods to their sleeping companion. “Yep.”

That, at least brings a small smile to her face. He figures now would be a good time to bring up Naruto and the flowers.

….He doesn’t.

“I’m still proud of you, you know. Shino and I both are.”

Hinata’s hand shifts, thumb tracing along the curve of his wrist. “You’re my teammates. That’s your job. Doesn’t count.”

“That’s a fine thing to say,” Kiba remarks. “Seeing as we’ve both been here since this evening waiting for you to wake up.”

It’s not the best thing to say-her face is already painted with concern. “Oh, Kiba, you two didn’t have to go to all that trouble-”

“Don’t even start.” he shakes his head. “Why don’t you just get some more sleep, huh? You still look exhausted.”

She does, but her eyes don’t close even as her head leans back against the pillow. “Do you have to stay here, too? After your fight and all?”

“I’m released, technically. Just some bruises and stuff.” Technically it’s a cracked rib, but he’s not about to tell her that. Still, his expression sours as he recalls the shit-eating grin on Naruto’s face. He’ll have to return the favor here eventually. “But I’m already planning on just sleeping here, and so is Shino, so don’t start on that either.”

Hinata, who had already opened her mouth to argue, closes it again rather bashfully. “Aren’t they going to bring a cot in?”

Kiba shakes his head. “Can’t. They’re already being used-tons of kids got the shit kicked out of them today, it looks like.”

A quiet, tired giggle leaves her, and that makes him feel better.

“Well, you’ll at least use half of the bed, right? This whole thing is definitely big enough for two people.”

Kiba reflexively removes his hand from hers, both palms raising up near his shoulders. “Woah, that’s-that’s fine, Akumaru and I were just gonna take the floor for now.”

“I couldn’t do that to Akumaru!” Hinata insists. The dog’s ears twitch at the mention of his name. She reaches out a bandage hand to pet his small, white head. “Could I? No. Not my favorite.”

“Oh, _he’s_ your favorite.” Kiba jokes.

After a moment, Hinata withdraws her hand. “It’s...Not a huge deal, Kiba. Not really. We’re teammates, so it’s not as if…”

She doesn’t need to finish the sentence, and really, he wants to think along those lines. That it wouldn’t be a big deal. The three of them have slept in close proximity before, on their missions-they were all used to the sound of Shino’s quiet snoring, or Akumaru’s snuffling, or the fact that Hinata sometimes mumbles nonsense words in her sleep.

But something about there being an actual bed, as opposed to some grass or something, makes the whole thing seem distinctly different. The only reason he’s even considering it is because his limbs still hurt, and curling up on the floor would certainly make them worse.

“....Just if you’re sure,” he finally relents. Hopefully, he could wake up before Shino so he wouldn’t have to deal with anything too awkward.

There’s no way Kiba is getting beneath the covers, so he simple situates himself on top of them, Akumaru curled up in a ball near his feet. She’s right-the whole bed is big enough that there is some space between the two of them.

But it’s not much. He can hear the sound of her breathing far more audibly now, not to mention the strong scent of lilacs in her hair. Everyone had their own personal scent-it was something only the Inuzuka’s were really aware off. Shino was like soil after rain. Naruto was, unsurprisingly, the salt-ridden scent of miso. And Hinata was lilacs. Had been the first time he’d sat near her, probably still would be when she was eighty-five.

“I don’t know why he hates me so much.” Hinata’s voice breaks the awkward silence.

“You want me to break his wrist for you,” Kiba offers, only half serious. Even in the dark, facing away from him, he can sense that she’s smiling.

“No, Kiba.”

“Damn.”

A silence settles down again, more comfortable this time, until Hinata breaks it again.

“I’m glad you’re my friend.” she says sleepily.

Warmth floods his chest. This time, there’s no tinge of resentment like there had been when he’d looked at the flowers. There’s no real jealousy. Only that warmth, like sun after rain. At his feet, Akumaru wags his tail.

“I’m always your friend” Kiba assures her. “Whether you lose or not.”


End file.
